Chi, Ka, Tei and Mizu
by The Smokey Gerbil Cloud
Summary: Zuri never expected to be anything more than a small-town fisherman's daughter, but now she's the Avatar? What will happen when complications arise, and individuals from each of the Four nations band together to try to overthrow the world leaders and take their positions as their own, whatever it takes? Can Zuri, and her new-found friends, save the world, or will they die trying?
1. Prologue

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this is my new avatar fanfic. I've been playing around with the idea of making one for weeks, but the actual idea only popped into my head two days ago. Since then, I've been developing characters and writing. Now, Zuri is an Earth-born Avatar, and everyone is an OC, including some of the places!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

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Prologue

Two Years Previous

_Thirteen years ago today, Avatar Niyol of the water tribe was laid to rest, and today, the new avatar was to be revealed. Today, the Earth Umai would reveal who the next Avatar, an Earth bender, would be._

_Our story begins on the southern-most island in the Earth nation, called Shiki Island. The small Island has only one place to live, Kushisa Village, which is where our Avatar is to be found._

_A young girl, age thirteen, weaves her way through the bustling but friendly crowd in the marketplace when suddenly, everyone stops moving. _

_They have noticed the Umai's. _

_The crowd parts to let the Umai's through, and they stop in the middle of the circle the crowd had formed, observing._

"_Today is the day we reveal the new Avatar!" The crowd was silent except for a few anxious, excited whispers. The Umai's turn, and bow to the ground in front of the young girl, her short black hair that shines red in the beaming sunlight naturally messed, her pale green eyes wide in shock._

"_M-me?!" She stuttered pitifully, and the crowd, now also bowing, murmured to themselves. They had known her all her life, they knew her name, they knew her father, they had known her mother...and they were still shocked when she turned tail and ran for the rundown house on the edge of the island._

"_Papa?" She choked out as she slammed the door behind her, her father's head popping out from around the kitchen wall._

"_Zuri?" She padded across the room on her bare feet, launching herself into his arms. "Zuriel? What happened dear?" He asked, a hint of panic in his voice as he pulled her close, tight to his chest protectively._

"_The Umai's...they said I was the Avatar..." She started sobbing outright at this point, and her father froze, before he too started to cry._

"_Zuri, Zuri, Zuri...it's all going to be okay, love. I won't let anything bad happen to you." He placed a soft kiss atop her head, and a tear dripped after it._

"_But papa...they're going to take me away, aren't they?" He froze again, before pulling away and glancing down at her._

"_Yes." He told her bluntly, and a tear leaked from the corner of her eye. "But I'll always be here, waiting for you, my wonderful, wonderful daughter." She sniffled as he pulled her in close again, not ever wanting to let her go._

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(A/N): So, most of the OC's don't come in until late, like, team avatar I mean, because well, she has to meet them first. Also, the Earth Umai's are made up. They're like the Fire Sages in the Firenation except...in the Earth Kingdom. Where I got the word from, it's japanese, it said it meant 'expert' but according to everything else...it means 'good'.

Zuri is pronounced = Zure [like lure]- Ee. Zuriel is pronounced = Zure [again, like lure]- ee- ul.

Shiki means 'four seasons' and is pronounced = She-key.

Kushisa is made up by me and is pronounced = Coo-she-zah.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!


	2. Chapter One: A New Day Dawns

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I had this written when I uploaded the prologue, but I wanted to write the next chapter (which I didn't) before I uploaded this one. I'm uploading the new image at the same time, and I figured it wouldn't be fair if I just uploaded that without this. I hope you like!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise, which isn't much, actually.

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Zuri

Present Day

It was cold.

Utterly, bitterly cold. Surprisingly, I was okay with this. Living on Shiki Island my whole life, this far South, it wasn't as bad as if it would have been if I had lived in the Si Wong desert. It wasn't as cold on Shiki, no, but it wasn't too much of a difference. Besides, I had really gotten used to it in the past six months I had spent here.

I had spent the first few months after finding out I was the Avatar finishing my Earth-bending training, then I had travelled here. After a few months here, I had travelled to the Southern Air Temple to start my Airbending training.

Six months ago, I was required back at the Southern water tribe, and since then I had been continuing my water-bending training with my best friend, Anouk.

Anouk was one _strange_ girl.

She had light brown skin, lighter than the usual water tribe tone, seeing as her mother was fire nation, her father water tribe, and deep blue eyes with a dark grey ring in them.

As she sat next to me, her dark brown hair in it's long plait, two long fringe pieces that reached past her chin swaying in the lazy arctic breeze, I realised just how lucky I was to have a friend like her. Sure, she was hot-headed, reckless and could be pretty darn insulting but still...

"Hey beautiful." A boy about our age said to me, and I blushed lightly before Anouk spoke up.

"Buzz off, Cow hippo breath!" She growled, and the boy backed away, hands in the air, looking shocked and disgruntled. I could see why. I mean, have you smelt a cow hippo's breath? No? Then trust me, _don't_. Ever.

Though with Anouk, did you see what I was talking about? She hates sexist boys, arrogant boys, people older than her, people younger than her, she hates the cold, she hates the hot...she hates just about everything except for me. Well, most of the time.

Today, however, she was even more angry than usual, seeing as her father had been kidnapped. Yes, I remember the exact conversation we had.

FLASHBACK

_I awoke from a deep slumber in the early hours of the morning to a familiar, bony-chilling shriek. _

_Anouk._

_I threw the covers from myself, pulled on my thick blue parka immediately before racing out of my chambers, across the snow-packed street, and into the house across from mine, where I knew Anouk lived. People were starting to gather, but I was the first there. _

_I sprinted through the small house, sliding around the corner into Anouk's father's room, where I could hear her sobbing._

"_Anouk!" Her head snapped up, and I saw the tears leaking from her deep blue eyes. "What's wrong?" I asked, feeling rather stupid. I glanced around, searching for her father. He didn't seem to be here, which was odd. Sure, the fishermen and hunters of the tribe, which Anouk's father wasn't, left early, but he shouldn't even be awake yet, let alone gone._

"_My father!" She sobbed, and I stared down at her before kneeling to be at her level and resting a hand on her shoulder. "I woke up for a drink of water, and he was gone!" My mind went blank as I watched my usually hot-headed best friend cry her eyes out. _

_Missing? _

_I know Anouk's father, he wouldn't just leave her like this by choice. He must have been kidnapped...but by who?_

"_Anouk, listen to me. I know it's tough right now, but you have to listen." She glanced at me, her eyes still full of tears, and nodded, showing she was. "That's my girl. Okay, did you notice anything else that's different?" She stared at me for a few seconds, and I worried that she wasn't really paying attention, but then her eyes lit up, and she nodded furiously._

"_Yes! On that table there, there's a small pebble that wasn't there before!" I nodded at her firmly before stepping over to the table she had gestured to, finding the smooth rock there just as she had told me I would._

"_It's going to be okay Anouk, we'll get your father back." I told her, before pulling her into a tight hug. I knew what it felt like to lose a parent, even if it was only temporary..._

END FLASHBACK

When I had showed the smooth stone to the Tribal chief, Pokho, along with telling him that his most trusted advisor, and eventual successor, seeing as Pokho had never had an heir and was getting on in years himself, was missing, his face had gone white, along with those around him.

"Do you know what that means?!" One of them choked out, but Pokho held a hand in the air to silence him before nodding for me to answer.

"No, sir." I replied, tacking on the 'sir' out of habit. Chief Pokho raised an eyebrow, wearing a grimace on his worn and wrinkled features.

"It is the mark of a group of individuals known to want to take over the Four Nations, Avatar Zuri. They have not yet done anything of real relevance, but this..." He trailed off, glancing at the man who had spoken up earlier with an air of worry.

"It is my duty to stop them, is it not?" His head snapped around so fast I was worried for his bones.

"No!" I raised an eyebrow and he reconsidered. "Well, yes, it is, but you are too young! You have not yet mastered the four elements, you are not powerful enough!" I had raised an eyebrow at him, my temper flaring.

"I assure you, Chief Pokho that I will be more powerful than you have ever been." And with that, I had exited the royal palace, making my way back to Anouk.

And that's where we were now.

"We should just leave." I told Anouk, who glanced at me almost wearily. "We can find your father on our own, and stop this 'group of individuals'. I'm the avatar, you're a water bender...we could." Anouk stared at me for a long time.

"You know I'm up for adventures, Z, but that is just...crazy." I frowned at her as she stared at me. "Besides, you know the only thing I know is healing!" Her face turned dark here, and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Stupid tribal customs!" She bellowed, and everyone in the area glanced at us before shaking their heads, not at all surprised as to who was doing the shouting.

"I know! So...why don't we leave? We don't have to fight them now, or on our own. You're sick of your tribe's customs, and I need to start fire-bending training. So...how about it?" I asked, staring at her hopefully. Every other time I had suggested this in the past, she had turned me down, too attached to her home to leave it, but now...

"Yes. Let's do it!" She exclaimed, and I grabbed her hand, dragging her back to her house.

"Okay! Pack what you need, meet me at Heng's stable in ten minutes."

Ten minutes later, she met me outside the enlarged ice stable.

"Hello Heng, it's nice to see you again!" Anouk called to Heng, my Sabre-tooth moose lion friend, who resided in this stable whenever I was in the Southern water tribe. Heng nudged her head with his nose, and she rubbed his muzzle affectionately.

I had found Heng the first time I had left Shiki Island, after the Umai's told me I was the Avatar. We had travelled to the larger Island above Shiki, Oku Island. When I had found him, he was alone, his mother had been killed illegally by hunters, and he was sure to die without someone to look after him. So, I took him in, and he's been my closest friend ever since.

Most people, when they look at a Sabre-tooth moose lion they see, depending on its age, either a cute little fuzz ball, or a ten foot tall beast. Me, I see Heng.

"We'll be catching the next ship to the Southern Air Temple. We'll spend a day or two there, and then find a ship to take us to the Fire-nation Island, North Chung-Ling." Anouk looked slightly confused at why I had picked a specific island, so I decided to fill her in. "It's the most direct Island from the Southern Air temple, and I hear they have great food and a few Fire-bending masters there." She grinned at me, shaking her head as she considered to rub Heng's nose.

"You need help with that?" She asked with concern in her voice as I pulled the large, heavy saddle from the shelf to the side of the stable, specially made for Heng.

"Nah..." I breathed, dropping the saddle onto the floor before shaking my head. "I think I'll be alright." I said, before lifting the saddle onto Heng's back with my Airbending.

"That...was really impressive." Anouk told me, awe in her voice, and I shrugged.

"Yeah, that's about the only thing I can do with air-bending so far." See, Earth and Air were pretty much exact opposites. It was harder to learn Air-bending than it has been to learn water-bending, but I have managed to learn some techniques, like lifting with the air.

Heng's saddle was specifically crafted for him, by the Umai's. It was moulded to fit his back perfectly, with adjustable straps for when he grew. It was light-weight, or, well, at least to him it was, for easy management and could easily seat a few people.

"Well? Get in." I told her, and she blinked before climbing onto the step-stool beside Heng, digging her feet into the handles hanging from the side of the basket-type saddle, throwing herself over the side into the saddle. "Oh good, it doesn't move too much with a person in it when not tied on." She sat up abruptly and glared at me.

"I hate you." She muttered, and I simply grinned at her before circling Heng to tie and tighten all the straps used to hold the saddle in place.

"Okay, we're ready to go." I told her, and she nodded grimly, grasping the wooden sides of the saddle tightly, preparing herself. "You ready to go Heng?" His eyes rolled up to look at me where I sat between the saddle and his neck, and growled an affirmative.

A sabre-tooth moose lions 'voice' if you will, is a mixture between the growl/roar of a big cat, and the noise a moose makes. Sort of like a grunting whine with a bit of a growl...

"Okay. Yah!" And with that one word, he loped out of the stable, a steady gate, until he reached the city limits, where traffic lessened, and increased the speed of his trot. The wind rushed through my hair, past my ears, and I grinned wide. Riding with Heng was a moment of peace I rarely got to experience recently, and I missed it. Anouk, however...

"Ahhhhh!" She screeched, and I glanced over my shoulder to see her white-faced, eyes wide, gripping the sides of the saddle so tightly her knuckles were white as well.

"Just relax!" I called back to her, chuckling lightly as I leaned closer to Heng's soft brown fur. "We'll be on the ship soon enough!"

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(A/N): So, Heng is like Appa, Naga and Fang, he's Zuri's companion animal.

Anouk is an interesting character, though she can be a bit hot-headed.

Pokho wasn't actually supposed to come into this until much, much later, but my hands changed what I had in mind, ugh.

Please review and/or check out my other stories! (Especially my Harry Potter fanfic, Into the Fire which had over 110,000 words so far, 85 chapters, and I'm only on their second year. By the way, did I mention it's Marauders era, which means we also get to see what happens _after_ they graduate, and when they grow up?)


	3. Chapter Two: The Boat Tale

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this is the second (third if you count the prologue) chapter so far. Trust me, this story will get better with time, I've found with my previous stories.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

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Zuri

We had bordered a cargo ship using my Avatar passport, which basically overrides everything, and Anouk and I stood at the railing, watching the ocean pound against the hull of the ship. Heng had to travel below, and make minimal movements, seeing as with his weight, he could potentially cause the ship to tip over.

"Hi!" A small, bubbling voice called from close behind me, and I turned to find a small girl with dark brown hair in a plait that started on the left side of her head and crossed the back of her head before falling over her right shoulder. She looked to be about five, her dusty blue eyes staring up at me brightly.

"Hello..." I greeted her with a warm smile, kneeling down to her level. Anouk stared at me for a second before also dropping to her knees.

"Chou! There you are, you had me so worried!" A girl of about thirteen swooped the younger girl into her arms, and watched us warily for a few seconds.

"Chinatsu, she's the Avatar!" The young girl giggled, trying to squirm playfully out of her, assumedly, sisters, arms, and the older girl, Chinatsu, snapped her gaze to Chou before glancing at us.

"And how do you know that?" She asked, her tone softer now, but still filled with authority.

"I saw her Sabre-toothed moose lion!" Chou announced, pointing a small finger at the grate to the lower deck, where Heng was, with a beaming smile.

"Is that so?" This time, the questions was directed at me.

"Hello, I'm Zuri." I told her, holding out a hand for her to shake with a tentative smile plastering itself on my lips.

"Chinatsu." She said in return, gripping my hand a little tightly, before letting go and turning to Anouk. "And you are?" The way she said it wasn't particularly wrong, but Anouk most definitely took her words the wrong way, nonetheless.

"I'm Anouk, Zuri's best friend, and you better step off unless you want to throw down, girly." Anouk growled, a small, self-satisfied smirk on her lips as she glared at the older girl, whose eyes were wider now.

"I can assure you, you'd lose." I added, trying to be helpful. Though her skill in water-bending wasn't great, her determination and temper were enough to tip the scale in her favour.

"I know I would." She surprised us, by agreeing, and she set Chou down on the deck, still gripping her hand to make sure she wouldn't run off.

I noticed, for the first time, that her brown hair, originally seeming to be plain, had black flecks, that made it shimmer, changing colour in the arctic sun. Her style was nothing fancy, hair in a simple bun, wearing thick blue parka like mine, with a hood and thick pants made of fur, along with fur-lined leather boots. She was wearing a lighter blue material shirt under the parka, I could see it, as the parka was differently shaped to mine. It was normal, even, all the way around, until the middle of the front, where the parka material extended downwards to her knees. On her chest were two parallel lines of white squares, decorative, as they didn't seem to serve any sort of purpose. On her hands, there were leather gloves, with four fingers, one for the thumb, one for the index finger, one for the small finger, and one for the two remaining fingers. On the outside of the gloves, were pieces of thick fur, especially on the fingers, for warmth. Her eyes were a deeper blue than her sisters, and her skin was slightly lighter.

"I'm not a bender. My mother was, but my father wasn't and neither was I." I stared at her for a minute, before glancing at Anouk, comparing them.

"Your parents, one of them was fire nation, weren't they?" I asked, and Chinatsu blinked while Anouk looked shocked.

"Yes, my father." He eyebrows wrinkled together now in confusion. "But how did you know?" I smiled lightly at Anouk before looking back to Chinatsu.

"Anouk's mother was fire nation, her father water-tribe. You have the same skin colour." I explained, and the two girls quickly compared their skin tones.

"How weird is that? That we happened to meet each other, I mean?" I rolled my eyes. On my trips around the world so far, I had seen a lot of strange 'coincidences'. Most of them, weren't coincidences.

"Very weird." Anouk said, and I could tell she was getting bored.

"So, Chinatsu, why are you going to the Southern Air Temple?" Chinatsu's gaze moves back to me, and she smiled slightly.

"Just looking for a change in pace, I guess." Something wasn't right here.

"Really? Most people don't go to different nations just for a change of scenery." Her smile faltered, and she glanced at Chou before glancing back up at me.

"Our father died." She whispered, and my gaze softened, no longer suspicious. "His best friend is an Air Nomad, we're hoping he's going to take care of us." I reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "This was all we could afford." She informs us, gesturing to the cargo ship we were travelling on.

"It's going to be okay." I promised, and she smiled weakly before moving away from us, disappearing in the small crowd of workers. Compared to some, Anouk and I were privileged, and times like these just proved that fact to me.

A few days later, we arrived at the Southern Air Temple, with the help of a flying bison, of course.

"I'm sorry Heng, you'll have to stay here, just until we find a ship to take us to the Fire nation buddy." I rested my forehead against his muzzle, and he growled lightly in acknowledgement, his 'voice' full of sadness. We both hated being separated, but at least I would have Anouk with me.

We had then boarded the Sky bison, Michu, and his air nomad companion, Ufa Naha.

"Thank you so much. Both of you." I told them as Anouk and I climbed off Michu, and I petted what I could reach of his head as a thank you.

"It's our pleasure to help the avatar." Ufa Naha replied with a wise smile, descending to the bottom of the mountain again to wait for more travellers.

"That. Was even more scarier than riding on Heng." Anouk stated, staring ahead blankly, both in fear and awe.

"But absolutely wonderful." She nodded in agreement, and we set off.

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(A/N): So, what did you think?

Anouk = Ah-nook

Chou = Choo or Chow, whichever way you want to say it.

Chinatsu = Chin-aht-soo

Michu = Me-chew

Ufa Naha = Oo-fah Na-ha

I don't care if you skipped Chinatsu's description, it wasn't really important. If you did, congratulations, you are far superior to everyone else.

Please review check out my other stories!

P.S: It's 12:20 a.m here, but luckily, I just started school holidays.


	4. Chapter Three: Rest and Relaxation

(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this is chapter three. I started writing it last night, like, the first five hundred words, and the rest I just finished. Zuri is kind of difficult to write, because I don't have a specific personality mapped out for her. And holy hell, air nomad characters are hard to write.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

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Zuri

"What do you mean you don't have _any _ships?!" No, that wasn't Anouk shouting, it was me. As it turns out, the Air Nomads don't see the need for boats of any kind.

For travel, they have the sky bison. They don't eat meat, so they don't need boats to fish. It was ridiculous though!

"I'm sorry, Avatar, but you'll have to catch the next Fire nation ship that comes to port." I stared at the man behind the counter, before sighing deeply.

"And when will that arrive?" He consulted the books in front of him, his long beard almost getting caught in them, before looking back up, his fingers intertwined.

"Tomorrow afternoon." I squeezed my eyes shut, sighed, shook my head, pushed away from the desk and walked away.

"Unbelievable." I muttered, and Anouk shook her head, grinning.

"How is it that _I'm_ the hot-headed one?" She asked jokingly, and I glared at her until she held her hands up in defeat. "Alright, alright, don't send me into the eternal abyss." I rolled my eyes, continuing to walk back to the edge of the Southern Air temple, where Ufa Naha was waiting, having just dropped off a family with Michu.

"Back so soon girls?" Anouk's eyebrows twitched down. She hated her gender being pointed out, as if it made her different, weaker, to everyone else.

"Yes." I hissed, patting Michu's head again absent-mindedly, trying to calm myself before climbing onto his back in front of Anouk, who had struggled up there while I was distracted.

"What's wrong with her?" Ufa Naha asked Anouk quietly, who smiled slightly, knowing I could hear them both.

"No ships." Ufa Naha nodded as Michu began to descend, and Anouk scrabbled for a hand-hold.

"Relax, he knows what he's doing." I scolded, and she shook her head, eyes still closed shut.

"But what if he crashes?" She whined, and Ufa Naha chuckled loudly.

"That's pretty much impossible, young lady." Anouk's eyebrows twitched again, and she scowled.

Being called out on not only her gender, but her age? Well done, idiot. Surprisingly enough, Anouk didn't yell at Ufa Naha, probably out of fear that she would startle Michu, leading to our imminent deaths.

We slid down Michu's sides, onto the ground, as we reached the bottom of the cliffs, and Heng raised his head to watch us lazily.

"Yeah, don't get up you lazy boy." I rubbed his chest, resting my back against his side while inspecting the sky.

"We should be alright to sleep out here tonight." I told Anouk, and her eyes widened slightly before she nodded.

"You're the expert, Z." She curled up against Heng's side as well, as the sun began to drift towards the horizon, and Ufa Naha journeyed back up to the temple for the night, leaving us completely alone down here on the ground.

Even from this far down, you could hear faint noises from the Air temple every now and then, seeing as dusk was the busiest time of the day here, and it comforted me to know that help wouldn't be very far away if we got into some sort of trouble.

"Goodnight Anouk." I called, smiling lightly as I rested my head against Heng's ribcage.

"Goodnight Zuri." After a minute, Anouk spoke again. "Goodnight Heng." I grinned, and stroked Heng's side under my head.

"Goodnight Heng." I whispered, but I knew he heard me.

* * *

I was awoken the next morning by the sun streaming down onto my face, warm. It was still chilly here, but definitely not as cold as the Southern Water Tribe.

"Anouk, wake up." I mumbled, smacking her lightly on the shoulder, and she grumbled something unintelligible before sitting up, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm up, I'm up." She yawned again, stretching, before surveying the land around us. "It's prettier here in the morning." I smiled at her observation, rising to my feet to remove the tiredness from my body.

"We're going to have to go back up to the Air Temple to pick up some more provisions." I told Anouk, who shuddered delicately.

"Not me, I'll stay down here with Heng. Isn't that right boy?" She cuddled his side, and I smiled, shaking my head, before heading towards the point Michu had dropped us off yesterday morning and, sure enough, Ufa Naha and Michu were there, waiting for travellers.

"Where's your friend, Avatar Zuri?" Ufa Naha asked, and I shrugged.

"She decided sleep was more important than helping me gather provisions." Ufa Naha smiled back at me wisely.

"Well, it is very early Avatar, perhaps sleep is more important at this moment. After all, a rested man is a wise man." I grimaced lightly at the fact that he said man, instead of woman.

Perhaps he referred to most things naturally as a male, seeing as how everyone at the Southern Temple was male.

"Right, I'll be sure to keep that in mind." I replied, bluntly telling him the conversation wasn't to continue. It was too early for proverbs.

We arrived at the top of the cliff, and I slid from Michu's back, petting his fluffy head again appreciatively before they descended once more.

Looking around, I noticed the streets were almost empty, apart from a few early risers. It was early, even for monks.

I unhooked the provisions bag from the wooden tog keeping it attached to my leather belt, gripping it close to my chest as if for protection. Taking a deep breath, I could smell the remainders of the food we had packed, bread, salted meats...almost all gone.

Shop keepers were only just setting up their stalls, and I need I wouldn't be able to buy meat here. The Air Nomads were strict vegetarians, no animals allowed.

The first stall I came across had everything I needed, except for the bread. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, everything, even milk. I wandered through the stalls, but none of them seemed to have any bread.

"Excuse me?" I asked a young boy, perhaps seven, who didn't have his arrow tattoo's yet. "Do you know where I can buy some bread?" He beamed at me, and pointed to the very top of the main temple.

"Oh. Thanks." I managed to choke out, as I stared, wide eyed, at the temple above.

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(A/N): So, what did you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

P.S: 'Don't send me into the eternal abyss' is Anouk's way of saying, 'don't kill me'.


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